Appakattts foe beeaking down coal



(No Model. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. F. HALL & W. LOW.

APPARATUS FOR BREAKING DOWN GOAL.

Mm AA Q 8. U W u J w WW t w m a 5 N. FEIERS. Pmwumn n mr. Wuhiagon. ILL;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. I. HALL & W. LOW.

APPARATUS FOR BREAKING DOWN GOAL.

No. 301,494. Patented July 8. 1884.

N. PEI-Ens. mwm m. Washington 0. C.

" 'U iTED STATES PATENT FFICEO WILLIAllIFAIRBAIRN HALL AND WILLIAM LOW,OF DURHAM, COUNTY OF DURHAM, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR BREAKING DOWN COAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,494, dated July 8,1884. Application filed October 10, 1883. (No model.) Patented inEngland July 6, 1883, No. 3,370.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM FAIRBAIRN HALL and WILLIAM Low, subjects ofthe Queen of Great Britain, both residing at Durharm, in the county ofDurham, England, have invented certain new and useful Improved Apparatusfor Breaking Down Coal or other Minerals, (patented in Great BritainJuly 6, 1883, No. 3,370,) and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and toletters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

Our invention relates to apparatus used for breaking down coal incollieries by splitting large masses of such coal with the aid of one ormore holes first bored in suitable positions intoit.

It has heretofore ordinarily been usual to blast the coal by. means ofgunpowder or other explosiveintroduced into the holesa process offrequent danger, and by which the coal is much broken and injured; or,sometimes apparatus has been introduced into the holes and expanded bythe pressure of water forced into it, so as to break down the coal.

Our present invention has for its object improvements in apparatus forso forcing down the coal by mechanical means only, substantially asdescribed and without hydraulic pressure.

In the accompanying drawings, which are in illustration of ourinvention, Figure 1 is a plan of the apparatus, and Fig 2 a side viewshowing it in position for work. Fig. 3 shows a plan of a modified formof arrangement, and Fig. 4. a side view of the same.

The same letters of reference indicate SllIl ilar parts in the severalfigures.

A represents the mass of coal which is to be broken down, shown undercutbelow at B in the usual way, 0 being a hole of suitable size, bored byhand or in other convenient way, in the upper part of the coal, and thenovel apparatus being introduced into this hole, as

shown.

a a. are two parallel bars of iron or steel, of

such size and at such distance apart that they can just enter the hole 0freely. These bars are preferably opened out at a point, I), out sidethe hole 0, so as to leave greater space between them, and at or neartheir inner ends at 0 they are thickened and brought close together,their opposing faces being flattened and slightly inclined, so that whena strong Wedge at (l is thrust between them they are forcibly separated.The wedge d is formed upon or attached to the end of a strongcentral'bar, e, which projects backward for a sufficient distance fromthe hole 0. The bars a a. are also carried back for a sufficient distance, and serve as parallel guides for a movable crosshead, f, attachedto or operating against the central bar, 6. At the ex treme outer end ofthe bars a a is arranged a transverse'pin, g, upon which are pivoted theouter ends of two pairs of links, h h, the other or inner ends of whichare jointed ati i to the outer ends of two corresponding pairs of links,is the other or inner ends of which are in turn pivoted by a pin, Z, tothe crosshead f. A strong screw, m, passes through between the links,and works in a nut, n, in the pin z", which connects the sets of linksupon one side, and in a socket, 0, in the pin 6, which connects the setsof links upon the other side, collars and pins 1) 1) being arranged toregulate the movements of the screw on, which can be turned round by ahandle of any convenient kind fixed uponits end at r. The bars a. a. arepreferably made in two parts, firmly connected together by bolts andcrosspieces at S, so that they can be conveniently separated for theconvenience of carriage, and they are strongly stayed togethcr wherenecessary, as shown at t t.

When the apparatus is to be used, the links h h It k are separated attheir jointed centers 42 i by turning the screw in, and the cross-head fis drawn back, so that the bar 6 and wedge d can also be drawn back andthe parts 0 0 brought together, and the apparatus can then be inserted.in the hole 0, as shown in the figures. The screw in being then turnedin the other direction, the joints 2' i are drawn together, and thecross-head f, bar 6, and wedge dwill be thrnstforward and inward with aforce increasing gradually as the jointed centers 2' 7; of the linksapproach each other.

and the two inner ends, c, of the bars a a which is very simple'andeasily operated. It

may be applied in any desired position, and may be used for getting orsplitting other minerals or hard substances instead of coal. In suchcases three or more bars may be used instead of two, a a, a conicalwedge being used at d, and the separation being effected in everydirection; and apparatus so made may be used for other purposessuch asexpanding the ends of tubes.

The position of the outer pin, 9, may be made variable, two or moreholes being made for it in the bars a a, as shown at 12, and byarranging the fixed pin 9 at Z and the sliding cross-head f at the outerends of the bars at g, the wedge cl can be reversed, so as to be drawnout instead of being thrust in, and the bar 6, being then in tension,may be made lighter.

In Figs. 3 and4 a similar general method of arrangement of the apparatusis shown; but movable blocks w w are shown fitted between the inner endsof thebars a a, which are arranged at right angles to their outer ends,so as I to serve as guides for the blocks, the latter being separated bythe action of the wedge 01, the inner ends of the bars a a remainingfixed and being united, as shown at on. Where soft material is to beoperated upon and less force is required to break it, the screw m may beomitted, and the jointsql i may be brought to-' gether by levers.

WVe are aware that prior to our invention coal-getting machines havebeen made with movable parts separated by the action of a wedge, and wedo not claim such a combination, broadly; but

What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination of thebars a a, having their inner ends brought closetogether, and adapted to enter a hole ina mass of coal or other mineral,in combination with a central bar, e, having a wedge, d, formed on itsinner end,'a cross-head, f, to which the other end of said rod e isattached, the links h h k k, connected by screw-tapped pins n n, asstated, and the screw m, which engages with said pins and causes saidlinks to give longitudinal motion to said central bar, e, for thepurpose set forth.

names to this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

IVILLIAMI FAIRBAIRN HALL. WILLIAM LOW. WVitnesses:

JAMES MATHER, THOMAS STEEL ALLIsoN.

In testimony whereof we have signed our

